Flowers
by Breanie
Summary: James makes a mistake and he and Lily have a huge fight that results in her breaking up with him in a publicly humiliating fashion.  James decides to get her back in his own way - Marauder Style - with a few comments from his friends.


**Flowers**

**AN: I do not own the lyrics to either of these songs those belong to Aaron Tippin and Brad Paisley.**

"**What **did you just say to me?" Lily Evans demanded, her almond shaped emerald green eyes flashing dangerously at her boyfriend of two months.

James Potter shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Um, I said … uh …"

"For fuck's sake, keep your mouth shut, Prongs!" Sirius replied, glaring at his friend. "You are in some deep shit right now."

"Sirius, do you want to die?" Lily yelled, turning to glare at her boyfriend's best mate.

Sirius put his hands up in surrender and backed slowly out of the Heads' common room. "Nope, see ya!"

James watched his friend leave and he gulped. "I'm sorry, Evans, I didn't mean it the way it came out."

"Oh, you didn't _mean_ it? Well, gee, I guess everything is all better now, you jerk!"

"I mean … I was just talking to her."

"Talking to her? Talking to an ex-girlfriend with your lips and then not even having the decency to tell me what I saw but to claim that I didn't see what I saw?"

James swallowed carefully. "It wasn't what you thought."

"Well, then, enlighten me." She replied, taking a seat on the chair and crossing her legs in front of her.

"She fell on me."

"On your lips?" Lily prompted, her eyebrow rising slightly. "Interesting way to fall, don't you think?"

He nodded. "Yeah, completely coincidental."

Lily glared at him now. "James Andrew Potter, do you think I'm an idiot?"

"No." James said quickly, blushing a bit. He was screwing this up. He knew he was but he didn't know how to explain himself. He had made a mistake and he was so scared that it was going to cost him the one good thing in his life.

Lily grabbed the potions book off the table and whipped it at his head, confirming his suspicions when he didn't quite duck fast enough. "You prat! I caved! I fell for your Mr. Nice Guy Head Boy BS despite how much my brain was shouting at me that you hadn't changed, that you were still the stupid immature jerk who wouldn't leave me alone! You just had to go and prove me right."

"No," James muttered, falling to his knees in front of his girlfriend. He had worked so hard to get Lily to go out with him and now he had messed it all up. "Evans, listen, it was an accident, honestly."

"An accident? Why can't you just tell me the truth?" She pushed him out of her way and hurried into her room, slamming the door behind her.

"Lily," James shouted, moving to bang on her bedroom door and wincing when he realized she had locked it. "We were talking and she was sad because Jack broke up with her and I hugged her in comfort and it just happened … it didn't mean anything, Lily, it was a brotherly kiss. Like the way you kiss Sirius!"

"Go away, James!"

He heard her mutter a silencing charm on the door and he leaned his head against it. He had royally screwed up and now he needed to find a way to fix it.

"**What** the hell am I going to do, guys?" James asked, sitting on his old dorm bed and dragging his fingers through his already incredibly messy hair. "I … I can't lose her. Not over this."

Sirius shrugged and stretched out on his own bed, his hands behind his head. "Why the hell did you kiss Charlene?"

James sighed. "I didn't kiss her, kiss her … I just … Jack had just dumped her and she was upset and she started crying and you know how I am when girls start crying. I completely panic! I don't know what the hell you're supposed to do when tears start falling. I padded her back and I hugged her and I just gave her a peck, that's all it was!"

Remus pursed his lips and crossed his arms in front of him. He was leaning against the bed post of his friend's bed. "You know why this is such a big deal though, don't you, James?"

"No. Fuck, Lily kisses you and Sirius in a similar fashion. It doesn't mean anything!"

"It wasn't the kiss, Prongs," Remus replied, shaking his head at his friend. "It's the fact that you lied to her about it when she saw you! It's completely confirmed every suspicion she's ever had about you. It's making her second-guess her dumbass decision to date you in the first place!"

James' mouth dropped open slightly. "What do you mean? I fell in love with Lily when I was eleven years old! She's the only girl I've ever wanted! She's the one that no one else could ever compare to! What is she afraid of?"

Sirius rolled his eyes now. "That you're going to use her like you used all the other girls you dated."

James snorted at that. "Use? You're the cad that uses girls. Those girls broke up with me because I couldn't stop thinking about and or staring at Lily!"

Remus sighed and took a seat next to his friend. "Look James, you're going to have to do something to get her trust back but right now I think you just need to let her cool off. It's late, tomorrow morning at breakfast try to talk to her. She will have probably calmed down by then and you guys can work it out."

"Should I send her flowers? She loves roses and flowers are a way of apologizing, right?" James asked, his voice a little desperate.

Remus shook his head. "No. Don't make her more angry. Send her flowers after you've talked to her, okay?"

Sirius nodded. "I've never had a fight with a girl that I cared enough about to make up over it, so listen to Moony."

James sighed and buried his face in his hands. "Alright, you're right. Tomorrow will be better."

**Sirius** stepped into the Great Hall behind his friend trying not to grimace at the look of pure pain on his face. Lily had refused to talk to him in Heads common room and now he was trying to get her attention in the Great Hall. So far, breakfast hadn't worked and neither had lunch.

Sirius crossed his arms in front of him and winced slightly at his friend's desperate expression. He had seen Lily's friend Hestia slip a little bit of firewhiskey into her friend's drink and knowing Evans, it would affect her quickly. He really hoped James knew what he was in for because there was no way in hell he was going anywhere near _that!_

Lily still looked supremely pissed off and now had her girlfriends all glaring openly at James as well. Sirius simply held his breath and waited.

_She was a woman on a mission_

_Here to drown him and forget him_

_So I set her up again to wash him down_

_She had just about succeeded_

_When that low-down no good cheatin'_

_Good for nothin' came struttin' through the crowd_

"Lily?" James asked quietly, his eyes softening when she turned to look at him. "Can we talk for a moment, please?"

Lily smiled sweetly at him. "Yes, James?"

James took this to be a little more hopeful and smiled at her. "Baby, I'm sorry. It was an accident. I swear it will never happen again. There is nothing going on between Charlene and I and I love you, Lily. You are the girl for me and I'm not going to lose you over something like this."

_Ah he was layin' it on so thick_

_He never missed a lick_

_Professing his never ending love_

Lily stood up then, her hands on her hips. "You love me?"

He nodded. "More than anything in the world. Please, Lil, give me another chance."

Sirius grinned at the evil glare in Lily's eyes. There was one thing about Lily Evans that Sirius Black loved to watch, her temper.

_Oh but I never will forget_

_When she stood up and said_

Lily stared him down.

_So I guess you think we're just gonna kiss and make up, don't ya?_

"Yes, please," James said quietly. "Kissing and making up would be great!"

_That's when she said._

Lily snorted. "Well, here's what I think James Potter!"

_Why don't you kiss, yeah kiss this_

_And I don't mean on my rosy red lips_

_Me and you, we're through_

_And there's only one thing left for you to do_

_You just come on over here one last time_

_Pucker up and close yours eyes_

_And kiss this goodbye_

James eyes widened and the whole Hall had tuned into Lily's outburst and were watching. Sirius had busted into laughter.

"Prongs, mate, you are in trouble!" He yelled out, wincing when Remus elbowed him in the ribs.

"Shut it, Padfoot! Evans is pissed as hell!"

Sirius shrugged. "What more can she do, Moony? She just told him that they are over and that he can kiss her ass. She's totally my hero!"

"Lily!" James exclaimed. "We are not over! I refuse to lose you over something so ridiculous! I was an ass! I was a jerk! I get it, but come on, don't leave me!"

Lily took a step closer to him and he backed up automatically making her smile. She was making him squirm and it pleased her immensely. She pointed her finger at him and continued to back him up until he was pressed back against the wall of the Great Hall.

"You were a hell of a lot more than a jerk and an ass, Potter!" She insisted.

_Well the next thing I recall_

_She had him back against the wall_

_Chewin' him like a bulldog on a bone_

"You not only kissed another woman but lied to me about it to my face when I clearly witnessed the event which you saw! Then you didn't even have the decency to admit to your mistake! You are loathsome! You are a toad! You are arrogant, full of yourself, a bully, pompous toe-rag who I wish I NEVER agreed to go out with in the first place! You were the biggest mistake of my life!" She screamed at him, her finger jabbing viscously into his chest.

_She was puttin' him in his place_

_And I mean right up in his face_

_Draggin' him down a list of done me wrongs_

"Not only did you cheat on me after trying to get me to go out with you for seven years but you practically stalked me; accused me of being a scarlet woman countless times; picked on my best friends; had your best mate whore around with my friends to get information about me; tricked me into going out with you; tricked Dumbledore into making you Head Boy which was the stupidest thing I've ever heard …"

_Well it was just about now_

_That the crowd gathered 'round_

_They've come to watch him pay for his every sin_

"Lily, I-"

"Don't!" She exclaimed, covering his mouth with her hand as someone cheered from behind her.

"Yeah Potter, you had sex with me and then hid from me!" Someone yelled out.

"You dumped me because you thought my friend was prettier!"

"You made me go out with Sirius!"

"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed, grinning. "I'm a catch!"

Both Lily and James ignored them.

Lily glared at him, tears of anger in her eyes now. "You are the biggest jackass I've ever met and that's saying a lot because you don't know my sister's boyfriend!"

_She called him everything under the sun_

_And when we thought that she was done_

_She revved back and she let him have it again, man!_

"Lily," James began, his hand reaching up to cup her cheek. "I'm sorry. I am all of those things. You're right but I … I know I don't deserve you but I just want to kiss you and make all of this go-"

Lily covered his mouth again and

_She said, she said._

_Why don't you kiss, kiss this_

_And I don't mean on my rosy red lips_

_Me and you, we're through_

_And there's only one thing left for you to do_

_You just come on over here one last time_

_Pucker up and close your eyes_

_And kiss this_

"Don't say goodbye!" James insisted, his voice coming out in a slight panic now.

_Kiss this_

_And I don't mean on my rosy red lips_

_Me and you, we're through_

_And there's only one thing left for you to do_

_You just come on over here one last time_

_Pucker up and close yours eyes_

_And kiss this goodbye_

_Kiss this goodbye_

Lily turned on her heel and the whole Great Hall yelled out:

_See Ya!_

James stayed against the wall, his heart pounding in his chest. Within minutes everyone had emptied and he was left alone, his three friends there watching him. Sirius started to speak but James simply held up his hand to silence him.

"Don't say it."

Sirius sighed and slipped his hands into his pockets. "That was brilliant, Prongs! I'm sorry but … that was brilliant!"

Peter giggled, speaking for the first time since the fiasco had started. "It was kind of. She sure is beautiful when she's angry though. You really messed her up!"

James groaned and sank down to his knees. "This can't be happening! I did not just lose her! It was one mistake! Okay, many mistakes! She's right, I was all of those things and am still but … it was all for her! I just … I just didn't know how to express how I felt when she kept pushing me away. I need her."

Remus sighed and knelt down next to his friend. "Okay so letting her cool off wasn't the best of ideas. Why don't you try your idea? She does love roses."

He looked up at his friends and closed his eyes. "I'll try everything and anything."

Sirius clapped his hands together and grinned wickedly. "Excellent!"

**When** Lily got back to her common room she took a seat on one of the chairs and burst into tears. She had just done the most horrible and horrendous break up in history. She was a terrible person. She wiped at the tears angrily. Not even James Potter had deserved that.

Merlin, she still loved the stupid jerk. Yes, he had done many stupid things but he was so sweet. He was the only guy she had ever dated who cared what she had to say; listened to her advice; was interested in her opinions and ideas enough that they got into heated debates over them. He was the only guy who had ever kissed her so tenderly that her knees turned to jelly.

She had fallen head over heels in love with him and now because of one stupid thing that he had done she had kicked him to the curb.

In public.

In an extremely embarrassing fashion.

She giggled a little to herself. Had she really told him to kiss her ass?

She heard the portrait hole open and she straightened, wiping the tears away.

"Okay, I deserved all of that and more." James said quietly, kneeling down in front of her with a dozen red roses in his hands. "But I want you back, Lils. Please, give me another chance."

Her heart broke a little. She wanted to say yes she would give him another chance. But looking at him hurt. It physically hurt. He had lied to her. How was she supposed to get over that in one day? She needed time to think, to consider, to weigh her options. She needed to understand herself before she could even begin to forgive him.

She stood up, pushing the flowers away from her. "I'm sorry, James, no."

Lily hurried into her room and closed and locked the door behind her. The sound of the lock clicking made her heart stop and she wondered if she was making the biggest mistake of her life. James had followed her around. He had always been there when she needed someone; even before when he had been a bully he had been there. She closed her eyes.

Maybe she was asking too much of him now to continue to be there when she wanted him to be. She was being selfish.

She unlocked the door and hurried back into the common room, but he was gone. Her heart fell and she stepped back into her room. Maybe it was for the best. They were both still too angry to deal with it right now.

She climbed into bed and buried herself under her covers still fully dressed. Tomorrow things would be better.

**James** was thinking along the same line because the next morning, he sent her a dozen red roses. The sweet smell of them made her heart flutter in her chest but before she could make a decision on them when they arrived she turned to see Charlene talking to James at the table. Lily's eyes hardened and she angrily used her wand to destroy the roses, tossing the broken, dead pieces of the flowers around the table.

She had been wrong. James couldn't be counted on.

The next day, another dozen roses appeared this time in white. Lily angrily repeated this gesture.

She didn't know how she was supposed to forgive him when he had outright lied to her face. If he had just told her he had been comforting a friend but no he had lied about it. It was too much for her to handle. She had given James Potter more of herself than she had given to any other man and now he had done the one thing all of her friends had warned her about it.

He had used her until he found a way to get rid of her.

James Potter never broke up with anyone in his life. He just did things to make the girl go away on her own and Lily was ashamed to admit that she had fallen into that trap. She had fallen in love with him as well.

Then she had embarrassed both of them with her display of anger. Clearly, James didn't seem to care because the next day, a dozen yellow roses arrived for her and she stepped on them before burning them and throwing the ashes in the common room that she was forced to share with James in the Head Dormitory.

He had been trying to talk to her for the last three days and she was just tired of it. She didn't want to deal with him. She didn't want to deal with the pain she felt when she looked at him. Lily crawled onto her bed as the tears took over and this time she just let them fall.

**James** swore angrily when he found the pink roses cut into pieces on the common room floor. He had sent her flowers nine days in a row now and she still wasn't giving him the time of day. He kicked the table angrily and then winced at the pain in his toe just as Sirius came into the room.

"Any luck, Prongs?"

James shook his head. "She still won't even talk to me. The flowers are doing nothing."

Sirius winked then. "So come up with something to get her attention."

"How?" James asked. "I blew it, Padfoot! I finally got the girl of my dreams and I fucked it all to hell!"

Sirius picked up a pink rose petal and rubbed it between his fingers. "Maybe flowers aren't the way to go, I mean, she just keeps killing them. All these flowers being forced to die prematurely just because she won't forgive you? Seems stupid if you ask me. Try something else."

James' hazel eyes sparkled. "That's it!"

Sirius glanced at his friend in confusion. "Huh?"

"That's it! I've got it! Stupid!"

"Yes, you are."

"Thanks Padfoot!"

Sirius watched his friend hurry out of the room and sighed. Whatever he had planned sounded strange. He was going to make sure he was a part of it. He shrugged and walked out of the room whistling.

**Lily** was sitting in her bedroom staring at the potion books in front of her. She still had an hour before breakfast but she hadn't been able to sleep. James just kept sending her flowers. What did that mean? She shook the thoughts from her head. She needed to come up with a great project if she was going to get her license to be a Potions Master but she didn't know what she wanted to do. Not to mention that she couldn't think.

Nine days in a row James had sent her flowers. Roses in different colours. She loved roses.

Her friends told her that it meant something and that James Potter had never sent flowers to any other girl after she "broke up with him for him" so this was different; it meant something. Lily wasn't sure what to think.

She had dumped him.

Publicly.

Humiliating him.

But he kept trying. What did that mean?

The only thing she did know was that she missed him. A lot.

The sound of something hitting her window made her jump and she hurried over to see what it was. She pushed the window open and felt a whoosh of air run past her. She turned just in time to see James pull of his invisibility cloak and step off of his broom.

"Get out, now!" She demanded. Her head was so full of emotions that she knew that if James tried something now she might forgive him before she was ready.

"No," James said. "Not until you listen to what I have to say. Then I'll leave."

Lily crossed her arms in front of her chest. He was being more than reasonable. It was her that was being the bitch. She sighed, "Fine."

James nodded and knelt in front of her, a single red rose in his hands. She softened a little but stayed firm. Then to her surprise he started to sing in a deep beautiful voice that took her by surprise.

_Long stem things of beauty _

_Created by the good Lord_

"What are you doing?" She insisted, wondering what on earth he was talking about.

He shook his head.

_Cut down in the prime of their lives_

_Boxed up, wrapped in paper_

_Delivered to your front door_

_Just to wind up in your garbage can outside_

He waved his hand and the flowers in his hand turned into the broken mess of flowers that she had been destroying. Her heart fluttered. He had kept every flower that she had destroyed.

_Tell me how many flowers have to die_

Lily laughed at that. "What?"

_Before you give this love another try_

"Seriously?" She asked.

_I've asked you to forgive me at least nine dozen times_

_Tell me how many flowers have to die_

Lily laughed then. "You jerk."

James grinned sheepishly at her. "You want to keep killing flowers, Lil?"

Lily took the single red rose from him. "If I promise not to kill this flower, will you go?"

He sighed and stood up, handing her the rose. "I'll go. But I just want you to know. I love you, Lily Evans. I've been in love with you since I was eleven years old. You are the girl I've been waiting for and I am not going to simply give up because I made a mistake. I'm not perfect by all means and I can be a prat and a jerk. I'll kiss your ass any time you want me too but it won't be in goodbye. I just hope you can find it in your heart to give me another chance. There is nothing going on between me and Charlene. I swear on my friendship with my mates."

Lily watched him leave the room and she bit her lip softly. Was he serious? He sounded sincere but she just didn't know what she wanted to do; not yet.

That decision became more clear when she got another surprise the next morning. Not only did a dozen roses come to her bedroom but at breakfast, James' singing continued. She had been eating her bowl of oatmeal quietly to herself when James was suddenly standing on the table in front of her, holding a guitar.

And he looked downright sexy doing it.

_I'm crazy and I'm desperate_

"Tell me about it," Sirius exclaimed, elbowing Lily gently from her right. "Look at the bloke. He's serenading you, who does that?"

_I had you and I blew it_

_And right now I've got nothing left to lose_

"It's true," Sirius continued. "He has no pride and no dignity. And we all know you've got his balls in your hands so he's pretty much a ponce."

Remus grinned from beside his friend. "I hate to agree with this one but he is crazy and desperate for you, Lil."

_I've got a Visa in my wallet_

_And I'm not afraid to use it_

"He only just discovered muggle credit cards," Remus replied. "And trust me, he's been buying a LOT of flowers with it!"

_How long the needless violence lasts_

_Is really up to you_

Lily snorted slightly. "He's singing about violence to flowers."

Sirius grinned. "Well, honey, you keep killing them."

James grinned and stroked the guitar, falling to his knees in front of Lily.

_Tell me how many flowers have to die_

_Before you give this love another try_

_I've asked you to forgive me at least nine dozen times_

_Tell me how many flowers have to die_

The Great Hall was laughing now at the words to the song. Her friend Alice busted into laughter at the words and leaned over closer to her. "I'm sorry, Lily, but that's good. He's telling you to stop killing flowers."

Lily, determined to hide her smirk, stuffed a piece of orange in her mouth. She got up and walked out of the Great Hall listening to the sounds of laughter behind her. How was she supposed to continue to resist him?

By the time she got to Transfiguration, she was annoyed. People had been commenting on Potter's performance all day. Some telling her to forgive him, others informing her that it was probably just another Potter scam. The day was almost over and she still wasn't sure. The only thing she was sure about was that she was in love with him.

She took her seat at the front of the class just as McGonagall walked in and James placed a single yellow rose on her desk. She knew it was spiteful but she ripped the head off the rose and threw it back at him.

However, she wasn't prepared for Sirius and Remus, who sat on either side of her, to lean in and both sing loudly:

_Stop the senseless killing!_

McGonagall turned around then. "Excuse me?"

Sirius grinned now and winked at McGonagall.

_Can't you hear those roses cry?_

James reached out in front of him and grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him.

_Baby, how many flowers have to die_

_Tell me how many flowers have to die_

He finished, handing her the top of the yellow rose she had just destroyed. "I love you, Lily. Please, give me another chance?"

Lily stared at him. He had embarrassed her twice today. Not to mention himself to some extent. She had embarrassed him first though in all fairness; at least this time. His beautiful eyes were staring into hers but she didn't like to be pressured … and she was still so mad at him.

"Evans, forgive Potter before I have to kick him and his gang of misfit imbeciles out of class. I would like to get started," McGonagall demanded.

James grinned then, that crooked little grin that turned her stomach muscles to jelly and she sighed.

"You're lucky you're so damn cute."

His grin widened and he leaned over to kiss her softly.

Lily smiled at him when he pulled away. "Now, no more flowers have to die."

James just grinned. "Good. And I got to kiss you but if you want, I can still kiss your ass later on tonight."

She smacked him and kissed him again. "Jerk."

McGonagall clapped her hands and glared at them, trying to hide her smile. "Now that everyone agrees how important it is to let flowers live can we get back to the lesson?"

James leaned back in his chair and grinned. "Of course, I've got everything I need now." His fingers entwined with that of Lily's and she sighed.

So did she.

THE END


End file.
